Sidewalk barbershops are a symbol of old Saigon. In the face of globalization and its demands for westernization, the sight of a simple chair placed beneath an awning where one can get an affordable trim just a few meters from a busy street is gradually vanishing.

“We’re going to Taipei on VietJet Air,” an acquaintance said to me. An international flight on Vietnam’s notoriously delayed airline didn’t sound like the best idea ever. But who would expect that I was set to fly to Tainan, a city on the island's southwest coast, just a few hours after the brief conversation with her. The reality was that I found it excruciatingly difficult to reject a cheap flight deal.

In full "ninja" attire, I braved congested streets under the scorching sun looking for the address. Finally, having spotted a sign that reads 'OldSchool Barbell System’ tucked deep inside Binh Thanh District, I hopped the curb, cheated my way to the destination towards a wide parking spot and prepared to enter a world secluded from the chaotic surroundings.

"Saigon in its golden age was a time to be remembered and passed down to younger generations. The vintage aesthetic trend in Vietnam has been around for a couple of years now and for me, it is a cause for celebration," owner Anh Tuyet said of the trend that has swept cafés and restaurants citywide. Thị's customers, meanwhile, are here for more than just the aesthetic.

Few people are aware that Saigon has an affordable, world-class emergency ambulance response service offering state-of-the-art treatment that begins the moment a call is placed from anywhere in the country.

As city officials prepare for phase three of a Japanese-funded canal clean-up project, 5,800 families in Saigon will be forced to move house.

The project, which originally began in 2012, has already moved 400 households during its first and second phases, reports Tuoi Tre.

Its latest efforts, focused on upgrading a 13.5-kilometer stretch of road running alongside the canals, will affect 1,600 hectares of land across Districts 4, 7 and 8 as well as Binh Chanh District. Overall site clearance compensation for the project is valued at VND4.5 trillion (US$201.9 million), though individual details are not yet available.

Once complete, these canal upgrades will help to ease flooding in the southern hub, where certain vulnerable areas are routinely underwater during rainy season. The city has also recently mulled the purchase of US$62 million worth of mobile water pumps to help combat its annual deluge.

As for the thousands of families who will be moving house in the near future, Luong Minh Phuc, director of the city's Urban Traffic Construction Investment Management Board, told Tuoi Tre his agency was in talks with the Department of Construction as well as the People's Committee chairman of District 8 about building new high-rises for the displaced residents nearby in an effort to keep those who must move closer to their former home.